Episode 15: The Truth About Physician Spouse Burnout & Secondary Trauma with Dr. Sarah Grimmer

In this episode, Kendra welcomes Dr. Sarah Grimmer, a licensed clinical psychologist with a PhD in clinical psychology, to discuss her groundbreaking research on physician spouse burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and the program she has developed to support medical families.

Sarah shares her personal journey of balancing PhD studies and family life while her husband pursued a medical career. (Can you imagine?? 🤯) The conversation explores:

• How secondary traumatic stress affects physician spouses

• The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and suicidality among spouses

• Key findings from Sarah’s research and what surprised her most

• The importance of resilience and how medical life impacts families

• A new digital video series to support physician families virtually

The episode also highlights collaboration with the Tarrant County Medical Society Alliance and Sarah’s upcoming research presentation at the American Conference on Physician Health.

Resources & Links

• Dr. Sarah Grimmer, PhD

  • Instagram: @drsarahmedlife

  • Email: [e-mail]

  • Research Paper: When perceived physician burnout leads to family burnout: How secondary emotional trauma impacts physician spouses

• Register for WellRounds (Sarah’s virtual program through the Tarrant County Medical Society Alliance):
  👉 Event Registration

• Upcoming Discussion Groups

  • September 16, 2025 — 12:00 PM & 8:00 PM CT

Episode Timeline

• 00:00 – Introduction and Guest Welcome

• 04:05 – Meet Dr. Sarah Grimmer

• 05:07 – Balancing PhD and Medical Residency

• 06:17 – Research on Physician Spouse Burnout

• 08:04 – Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress

• 10:29 – Collecting Data and Surprising Findings

• 13:03 – Suicide Awareness and Statistics

• 14:20 – Resilience and Medical Life Impact

• 16:34 – New Digital Video Series for Medical Families

• 19:25 – How to Participate and Register

• 21:40 – Conclusion and Final Thoughts